Make It

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1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey. Rinse turkey and drain; pat dry with paper towels. Loosely fill both cavities with stuffing, if desired. Fold neck skin over back of turkey and fasten with skewers or wooden toothpicks.

2. Place stuffed turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush skin with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover stuffing in cavity with a small piece of foil. Roast 3 to 4-1/4 hours (add 30 minutes if bird is stuffed).

3. Wrap garlic in foil and place next to turkey in oven. Roast garlic until soft, 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. When turkey skin is golden brown, about two thirds done (2 to 2-1/2 hours), loosely shield breast with foil to prevent over browning. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer at least 2 inches into the inner thigh of turkey. Let stand 15 to 20 seconds for accurate reading. Turkey is done when thermometer registers 180 degrees F. Also check temperature of stuffing; thermometer inserted into center of stuffing should register 165 degrees F. If turkey needs more roasting, remove the thermometer before returning it to the oven, thoroughly washing the stem section in hot soapy water after each use. Even if your turkey has a pop-up temperature device, for safety, the USDA recommends double-checking with another thermometer to be sure the turkey reached 180 degrees F.

6. Meanwhile, scrape drippings from roasting pan into a glass measure. Let stand 5 minutes, until fat rises to the top. Skim off fat; discard. Cut 1/2 inch off top of roasted garlic and squeeze the pulp from cloves into small bowl. Stir flour and 1/4 cup of the broth in another small bowl until smooth. Return drippings to pan and bring to boil over medium heat; whisk in garlic and sage. Slowly whisk in flour mixture and remaining 1-3/4 cups broth whisking until gravy thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.